Major boost for new Laois life saving service in Portlaoise

Emergency life-saving support in the Portlaoise area have received a major boost thanks to a presentation by the Laois Volunteer Centre to a new service in Portlaoise.

Laois Volunteer Centre recently presented two automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to the recently formed Portlaoise Community First Responders group. 

Community First Responders (CFR) are volunteers who are trained to attend certain types of emergency calls in the area where they live or work.

Their aim is to reach a potential life-threatening emergency in the first vital minutes before the ambulance crew arrives. The volunteers help to stabilise the patient and to provide the appropriate care including CPR & defibrillation, until the more highly skilled ambulance crew arrives on scene to take over the treatment. More below picture.

Portlaoise Community First Responders with Laois Volunteer Centre Chair and Staff. Picture: Michael Scully

The Portlaoise  group is made up of 11 volunteers and will be trained by the Order of Malta. Volunteers for Portlaoise Community First Responders will be covering an 5km radius of Lyster Square. Their training will commence shortly in the Parish Centre, Portlaoise and will take approximately six months to complete.

Caitriona Ryan, manager of Laois Volunteer Centre said: “We are delighted to be associated with such a worthwhile programme and wish Portlaoise Community First Responders great success with their endeavours.”

Amanda Wilkinson, who set up the group said: "Thanks to Laois Volunteer Centre we were able to get our Community First Responder group in Portlaoise off the ground.”

The first Community First Responder schemes were launched in Ireland in 2005 and there are now over 260 schemes across Ireland, all linked to the National Ambulance Service.

For more information on the Laois Volunteer Centre contact Caitriona Ryan on info@volunteerlaois.ie